Responses to David Biello, and Fabulous Free Money Offer to SciAm Editors

David Biello, on the Scientific American (or “Scientific” American) blog, had comments about nuclear power ("Nuclear Loses Its Cool").  He wondered how nuclear power plants could ever be a solution to global warming, if they had trouble staying cool during heat waves.  That whole train of thought contains more nonsense than I’m willing to spend time on…but I did point out to him that he provided no statistical evidence to back up his concern, and even misreported one of the anecdotes he used to support his case.

Specifically, he wrote: "The results of this can be seen at American Electric Power's Cook plant in Michigan where temperatures in the control room reached 120 degrees F.”

The problem with his reporting of the event is that the Reuters article that he hyperlinked to does NOT say that the temperatures in “control room” reached 120 degrees F. 

If the Reuters article HAD said that, anyone who knows anything about nuclear power plants and their operation would say, “What the #%$*?!”…because having nuclear power plant workers working in a control room that is even above 85 degrees is a very serious situation.  People who are hot make mistakes.  I can not even conceive of a situation wherein a control room at a nuclear power plant that was online (i.e., supplying power to the grid) would be allowed to get above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, let alone up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit!   A utility that allowed such operation should--and almost certainly would--be run over hot coals by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission!

What the Reuters article actually says is, “ A spokesman for the Columbus, Ohio-based company said the unit was shut down because the temperature in the containment room(sic) reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius), exceeding allowable levels."

"Containment room."  NOT "control room!"  (Obviously.  Anyone who actually knows anything at all about nuclear power would know that it wasn't the "control room" that got up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit!")  "The thing is, I and other person pointed out David Biello's (obvious!) blunder, but he seems utterly incapable of recognizing it.  (This is a man who is an editor at Scientific American!)

Instead of saying, "Thanks for pointing out that obvious blunder.  I don't know how I could make such an obvious mistake!" David Biello responded with:

"I am confused about one thing: is there something unclear in my sentence that leads some to believe that I am confusing a containment room and a control room? I was trying to point to two different (but connected) problems related to heat that nuclear power plants were suffering. Perhaps it was merely proximity? Or perhaps I should have further explained the cooling mechanics of such a power plant? Anyway, it's an interesting writing question for me."

Some comments on this response:

 

1)   Your sentence is perfectly clear, David.  It's just clearly and blatantly WRONG.  The control room did *not* "get up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit."  You said it did.  Do you have trouble reading your own words?

 

2)  As far as your question, "Or perhaps I should have further explained the mechanics of cooling of such a power plant?"...I have a return question.  I have a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering (with course emphasis on power generation) and worked on the analysis and design of nuclear power plants for 3.5 years for Babcock & Wilcox.  (I also worked on the design and analysis of advanced fossil-fired power plants and waste-to-energy plants.)  What is it in your background that makes you arrogant enough that you think you can explain the cooling mechanics of a nuclear power plant to me? 

 

David Biello concludes with, "Finally, please do not accuse me of misreporting. You can disagree with my analysis or opinion--or even the anecdotes I choose to include--but not my facts."

 

Bwahahahahahaha!  David, you're a hoot!  Once again, can't you read your own writing?  If not, why don't you get someone at Scientific American (or "Scientific" American) who CAN read your writing, and who knows the difference between a containment building (or "room" to the clueless writers and editors at Reuters) and a control room.  (Hint:  The control room is the ****AIR CONDITIONED*** room from which the operators control the plant.  And it does NOT get up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit while the plant is operating.)

 

Finally, I have a Fabulous Free Money offer to David Biello (and all the editors at Scientific American):  If any of you can provide *credible* evidence that the *control room* at the Cook Power plant in Michigan reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit on the day in question, I give the first person to do so $120.